Highways England is asking for motorists to show more respect to road workers
Highways England is asking for motorists to show more respect to road workers after it was found that 3,500 abusive or dangerous incidents were recorded over a three month period in 2017.
According to the Government owned company, road workers carrying out jobs on the UK’s 4,300 mile-long stretch of motorways and major ‘A’ roads are having to endure around 300 abusive or dangerous incidents every week.
Highways England, who are responsible for looking after the UK’s strategic road network, says that verbal and physically abusive incidents, plus episodes where motorists have drove into a cordoned-off area of roadworks, are putting the lives of road workers at risk.
UK road workers having to endure 300 abusive or dangerous incidents every week © Copyright Bill Nicholls and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Some workers managed to capture one such incident on film, which shows a driver on the A120 in Essex going over the verge so as to avoid congestion caused by roadworks.
In another film, an HGV driver didn’t notice a coned-off area on the M1 motorway and had to swerve last minute to avoid an incident.
Between July and September 2017, Highways England recorded nearly 3,500 abusive and dangerous incidents, of which 150 were classed as serious.
“Drivers who selfishly and illegally ignore these traffic restrictions and force their way through are putting both their lives and those of our road workers at risk – all to save a few minutes on their journey,” said Mike Wilson, Highways England’s chief highways engineer.
The organisation always try to “minimise inconvenience to drivers” but sometimes closing roads is unavoidable.
Highways England are asking for motorists to respect road workers and to stick to the speed limits around work areas – remembering that workers could be hidden out of sight behind equipment and vehicles and may not always be visible to vehicles passing by.
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